For artists who have applied a prosthetic makeup, it’s not hard to picture the following scenario. You’re on-set working frantically to glue silicone pieces onto your actor. Your hands are full and the powder is out of reach at your makeup station. Consequently, you seem to spend more time switching back and forth between different brushes than on actual application. What a pain!
Well, guess what? Prosthetic makeup supervisor and seasoned makeup artist Kym Sainsbury has heard your distress calls and satisfied her own need as well by inventing The Bent Brush by KS. After decades in the industry without an efficient method to glue and powder easily, it was the fx artist herself who took matters into her own hands. She explains, “The Bent Brush was born out of trying to find a quicker and more efficient way to glue my appliance edges down and powder them straight away. I had no time for turning around to find a powder puff or sponge on the makeup station.” Initiative, along with a bit of time, dedication and love is now the reason that this unicorn of a brush now exists.
The unique concept brush is double ended. One end is a fine detail glue brush with a signature bend and the other is a spherical latex free sponge, perfect for powdering or dampening for wig lace. It comes with a ziplock pouch, making it a breeze to keep contained on-set and can be cleaned easily with IPA.
The idea had crossed her mind many times before in the past, but it became fully conceptualised with the encouragement of fellow respected artists while working on Pirates of the Caribbean 5 back in 2015. From that point on, countless hours were spent with the manufacturer until it received her final seal of approval. Every detail has been customised to her requirements, from the silver details to the iconic orange colour that she has chosen to brand herself with. “It is everything I wish I had 20 years ago. It’s light weight and balanced so turning it is a breeze and it is great for both male and female hand sizes.” Our favourite feature of all however, is the latex free sponge end of the brush which can be easily replaced. Kym beams proudly at the fact that the sponge end of the brush is replaceable and available for seperate purchase.
Kym Sainsbury is a master of many skillsets, and consequently has spent the better part of 20 years working on an endless variety of jobs. “Having skills in makeup effects, beauty makeup, lab work, hair and wigs has been a great reason for my longevity in the Film Industry.” That’s right, she can do it all! She originally studied in London before following up with the Dick Smith Advanced Makeup Course. Most notably, she worked as Prosthetic supervisor on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so she knows her stuff when it comes to prosthetic makeups. Since then, she has worked on a slew of feature films and productions in both makeup and special effects departments.
The process of creating the Bent Brush has been a challenging yet enriching experience for Kym, who thrives whenever approaching something creative. “When I look back over the past year it seems easy, but it was a lot of hard work. There were a lot of trials with the manufacturing company as my idea had never been made before, but I am so glad I kept pushing forward. It’s a great product and the factory I deal with are amazing.”
Here at makeupdeptmastery.com, we were quick to snap this up and add it to our kit, and we were not disappointed. It seems you really can’t beat a brush that is made for fx artists, -by- an fx artist. To get your paws on these beauties, head to BentBrush.net / You can also follow Kym’s brush adventures on Facebook and Instagram.
